The New Jersey Devils looked terrible on Saturday night. Even ignoring the Philadelphia Flyers breaking franchise records by scoring three goals in 26 seconds, the Devils did not look like a good team. Some of the statistics show it was better than it looked, but that’s probably due to the Devils pushing to make a comeback when down by multiple goals.
The Devils lost the game 6-3. Nico Hischier, who has been struggling lately, scored two goals, and Timo Meier actually gave the Devils the lead at one point with a power-play tally. Outside of the top line (Jesper Bratt included), the Devils didn’t do much of anything.
After the game, we didn’t expect Sheldon Keefe to be happy about the performance, but he was incredibly blunt about what he saw on the ice.
"The game is lost in those moments."Sheldon Keefe on 3 goals in 26 seconds
It's clear that Keefe is concerned with the Devils' inconsistency. One night, they look like world beaters. Then, there are nights like Saturday night when they couldn't beat the Utica Comets with this effort.
MSG Analyst and former Devils captain Bryce Salvador said the team allowing those goals was "uncharacteristic." Keefe disagreed.
"You say it's uncharacteristic. Is it uncharacteristic? I would say it's exactly who we are. "Sheldon Keefe to MSG Networks
Keefe pointed to the defense especially for its inconsistency. He mentioned how at times, the defense has stretches where it's statistically the best in the league. Other times, they look like the worst defense in hockey.
"When you're inconsistent like that, you're fighting an uphill battle every night, not quite sure what you got."Sheldon Keefe to MSG Networks
When asked about a goalie change, he was clear that he didn’t put the game on Jake Allen. We don’t think he was good on this night, but Keefe clearly felt this was about the five guys in front of him at all times. We don’t disagree with the decision to start Allen, but it didn’t work.
He was asked if his in-game change in lines was a result of a lack of chemistry, but it's more than that. Keefe is frustrated with his options, and he clearly believes he's limited in the players he can trust.
"I'm looking for players. I'm looking for guys that can play. You can only play guys so much. We need to use the bench. We need other guys... You're trying to take away ice time from different guys to try to send a message and get other people more involved. Then it flips the other way and you have to reverse course a little bit. "Sheldon Keefe
See his whole press conference, along with Nico Hischier and Timo Meier's postgame comments, below.